Raptor Rapture

Watch a bald eagle nest cam! Liberty and Justice's eggs are a tad overdue for hatching.

Watch a barn owl nest cam! Molly and McGee have 5 viable eggs. Three have hatched already, and you can watch Molly feeding her brood.

These are just amazing, and it is funny to see how many comments are from homeschoolers! I've seen links to the MollyCam on lots of homeschool lists and blogs, too.

Mikro really enjoyed watching Molly cough up a pellet, preen herself, and feed her owlets. I'm hoping we'll get a glimpse of McGee later tonight... And maybe get to watch a hatching.

Garden Goodness

Since we are studying plants, Mikro is super interested in our garden this year. He has agreed to at least *try* all the fruits and veggies that we harvest. So far, the only thing ready for picking has been the green beans. I have tomatoes, but they are still green, and the deer have wreaked havoc on our squash and zucchini. Our strawberries are not doing well, but the raspberries were growing well until Kevin accidentally mowed over several of them... The potatoes are doing well. This is the first year we've tried them, so I'm not sure how to tell they are Done. Guess I will have to do some digging (on the net, or literally...)

Come take a look at what is growing, and who is visiting!







































Since we are a Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat, it is especially gratifying that we have hosted two sets of house wren babies. And we have seen huge numbers of ladybug larvae, some interesting beetles, a chipmunk who seems to live in our yard, lots of birds, and, of course, squirrels and raccoons. We have also signed up to do Firefly Watch through the Museum of Science in Boston, and are collecting data on our sightings.

Our garden certainly isn't fussy or manicured. It's a little bit shaggy and wild, which is just the way we like it!

Our next project, when Feeder Watch ends the first week of April, will be Cornell's Nest Watch. Or so we hope. It kind of depends on whether the birds find our new nest boxes to their liking...



Mikro and I built one bluebird box together. Kev built a bluebird and a chickadee box, and then mounted all 3 for us. No tenants yet.